Guardian
by Lord de Seis
Summary: Siegfried Schtauffen threw Soul Edge deep into the chasm, and must guard it to the end of his days. Ch 3 is up
1. Intruders

Guardian  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Soul Blade/ Calibur.  
  
Chapter 1: Intruders  
  
Siegfried had been guarding the chasm he had thrown Soul Edge into for a year, living off whatever animals he could find and a natural spring he found in the cave. He spent most of his time next to the chasm, always alert and listening. He slept for five hours a day after setting up numerous traps that would capture any intruders and alert him to their presence. He slept on the cave floor, used to not having a bed from his days with the Schwarzwind and his days as Nightmare. There had been a few intruders looking for Soul edge, but nothing he couldn't handle. He only wore his Nightmare armour when there were intruders to scare them off, because he only killed them when it was absolutely necessary. He sat now, listening for any signs of movement. He heard something. A snap and a, "Oh God! Bones!" There were many bones scattered across the cave floor, a few human but many animal. Someone had seen them and panicked. Any minute now they would run screaming out of the cave. But they didn't. Another voice, female, said, "Be strong." He walked silently out. He stood behind a large rock with his Nightmare armour on. His claw had started to shrink due to the absence of Soul Edge, but it was still very frightening to see in a dark cave covered in bones. He looked out and saw them. One was a man, the other a woman. The man wore clothes not unlike that conceited, wretched human Raphael but carried a scimitar instead of a rapier. The woman wore short trousers and a short shirt, and carried a short sword and a large shield. They were talking, the woman saying to the man, "Come on! They're probably only animal bones!" The man picked up a skull and said, "What animal do you think this was from then?" He asked, obviously very nervous. Siegfried couldn't help but laugh but when the man said, "What was that?" He became quiet again. "It was probably a mouse," The woman said, impatient. "I heard that some terrible monster guards this cave from intruders looking for the blade!" said the man.  
  
"An old wives tale," said the woman. Little did they know just how real some old wives tales could be.  
  
The two intruders continued walking, the man's knees knocking so loudly you could probably hear them in the village. Siegfried walked back and held the flamberge he had found lying on the cave floor in the Night Side stance. They grew closer and closer until they were close enough to see him. The man looked at him, screamed and tried to run but the woman grabbed him and shouted, "Who are you?" "My name is of no consequence." "We seek the Sword of Salvation, Soul Edge, let us through." Siegfried laughed. "The Sword of Salvation? Is that what you call it?" "Yes." Siegfried threw his head back and laughed. "What's so funny?" "The sword of salvation? This sword will not bring salvation! Only damnation!" "How would you know?" "because I once wielded it!" "Of course you did." "It took over my body and my mind until several years ago. I couldn't sleep because it controlled me while I slept." "What proof do we have of this?" "Have you ever heard of Nightmare?" "The black knight who terrorised Europe for three years?" The man said. "Yes." He stepped forward so they could see him clearly. "Oh god." the man said. He turned and ran for his life, but then tripped on a skull and hit his head off a rock, knocking him unconscious. "You're Nightmare?" "I was. Then I threw Soul edge into the chasm. You will not find it, and if you do I will kill you before you leave here." "You couldn't do it if you tried!" She moved very quickly and struck Siegfried at the neck, taking him by surprise. It knocked his helmet off and the woman, who had been expecting to see a horrible monster with blazing red eyes and slits for nostrils, was surprised to see a young knight with long, flowing golden hair.  
  
"Shit!" Siegfried shouted and swung the flamberge at her, but she ducked and said, wait, wait, I think I know you!" "Do you?" Siegfried continued swinging. "You're Siegfried aren't you!" Siegfried stopped. "How do you know me?" The woman looked at him.  
  
"Siegfried Schtauffen of the Schwarzwind. I met you once, in a forest. They were about to kill me and my band of travellers but then you stopped them and let us pass, saying that Knights were one thing, but women and children another. I never forgot you." "Why do you seek Soul Edge?" "I need it to save my country." "They all start out with such good intentions and then they actually find the blade. What country might that be?" "England." "I have met many from England. What do you wish to save it from?" "The French." "So you are at war then." "Yes." "Soul Edge will more likely destroy your country than save it." "How did you get Soul Edge?" "it is a very long story. I would suggest that you leave here before nightfall. The roads can be treacherous when you cannot see the cracks and pits." "No. I want to hear how you got Soul Edge." "So you will not leave until I tell you?" "No." "Very well then." He sat down and the girl did the same. "First, what is your name?" "Rebecca." "And your companion?" "Joseph." "All right then Rebecca, I will tell you. But you will be here quite a while."  
  
An: So, what do you think of the first chapter? Review and tell me. 


	2. Siegfried's Nightmare

Guardian  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Soul Blade/ Calibur  
  
Chapter 2: Siegfried's Nightmare  
  
"It all began when my father trained me in the ways of the knights," said Siegfried. "He taught me how to strike, block and parry and all the other things that make a good swordsman but he never told me what it was like to actually kill someone. I only learned because I didn't want to do disappoint him, and I think he knew, but neither of us ever said anything about it. He taught, and I learned. I became known around my town as the gentle knight. Then my father left to fight in a crusade and without him to influence me, I soon fell into the wrong crowds. I got into fights, and after a year I had killed someone. I wasn't proud of it and I never will be, but I found it wasn't as hard as I had anticipated. I had only meant to hurt him but I actually killed him. After two years I was told that I had to go and fight in the same crusade as my father and I found I didn't want to. My friends and I got together, took our weapons and left. We called ourselves the "Scharzwind" or "Black Wind". I had the idea that we would ambush knights in the forest, defeat them and take their supplies. I only thought we should beat them up badly enough to stop them from coming after us when we took all their supplies, but the rest of the Scharzwind decided we would kill them, and if I opposed them I would be killed. After a while of this I became more relaxed about killing them. We found a group of knights one day, weary from battle and marching, and I jumped down and grabbed the captain. I made him kneel down and beheaded him. I held up the head and the Schwarzwind cheered. I turned it around and looked at the face. It was my father on his way back from the crusades. I screamed and dropped it. I ran off into the forest and convinced myself that someone else had killed him. I started to lose my mind and became convinced that I would need some kind of magical sword with immense power to beat the "Killer". I had heard of the legendary sword of Sir Stephan, Grimblade. I went in search of it, and came to his castle, Ohrsteinsburg Castle. I became the commander of his band of mercenary knights. During my time there the forces of Marquis Andre laid siege to the castle, but my army and I held them at bay. During the battle I saw that an opportunity had arisen. Stephan was alone in his chambers so I entered and slew the knight. I then escaped with Grimblade undetected and ran into the forest. I held it high above my head and asked it to grant me the power to defeat my father's killer. Nothing happened, and I realized it was not the right sword. In disgust, I discarded it and resumed my search. I spent weeks searching, and the longer I searched the more manic I became. I finally found a report on the real Soul Edge being in a port town in Spain. I went there and as I entered the town I saw a female ninja carrying a girl away from the docks. Going in the direction they had come from I found the body of the dread pirate Cervantes with one of the twin blades of Soul Edge next to him. I reached to take the sword but was stopped when that damned pirate's body became consumed with hellfire and we began a savage battle. I emerged victorious and took the sword. The instant I touched it, the history of massacre within Soul edge travelled into me. I felt my flesh being seared away as it devoured my emotions. I realized too late the sword was merging with me." He motioned to his claw and Rebecca recoiled a little. "This is a reminder of that. It used to be a lot bigger, believe me. My body was turned red as blood and the sword exploded with evil energy. A massive column of energy shot into the night sky and rained the evil seed down on humanity. It was in that instant that Siegfried Schtauffen ceased to exist and I became Nightmare. I don't remember much during that time. The next three years were spent in a dream like state. I was vaguely aware of my alter- ego harvesting souls to feed the blade. Little did I know that my own desires had been driving the demonic creature. Nightmare was making his way to Ohrsteinsburg castle to return to the spot where my journey had begun. . Once his minions had collected enough souls, Nightmare used the power of the Soul Edge to resurrect my father. When my "father" asked me to pierce him with his sword, I knew it was nothing more than an illusion created by my weak mind. My father admonished me for my evil actions. This finally broke me from the mental control the Soul Edge had over me. I found myself under attack by three warriors, Kilik, Xianghua, and Maxi. Our battle did not last long, as the warriors easily defeated the weakened Nightmare. The Soul Edge was knocked free from Nightmare's grasp, and my body was returned to normal. As I had done many years ago, I once again fled the castle while a battle raged out front. Feeling like I had been given a second chance, I set out to make right all of the things that I as Nightmare had done. I first returned home to visit my mother. Her life had become completely barren in the three years since she lost her husband and son. This was the first time I had been home since I murdered my father. I made my way up the walk and prepared to knock on the door when I heard my mother praying inside. I froze as I heard her pray that her son's soul may find peace. I realized that I was unworthy to see my mother at this time, that I must make peace with my soul before I could ever face her. Not wanting to leave without saying goodbye, I spoke a farewell to her and ran away before she could notice. I had now grown into a man, and I left my childhood home refreshed. With renewed vigour, I set out to put out the flames of unholy hellfire that Nightmare had spread throughout the world. I gathered together a new Schwarzwind, one devoted to the destruction of demons. The path that lay before me was uncertain, but I thought that now because my cause was truly righteous that I would prevail. I was wrong. About a year after that I found Soul Edge again, but I didn't know as it had disguised itself as an ordinary Zweihander, not unlike my Requiem. I took it and once again became Nightmare. Nightmare slaughtered the Schwarzwind and set off again. This time Soul Edge wanted to find it's other blade, so it set off looking throughout the world. Nightmare fought many people and beat them all. Eventually he returned to Ohrsteinsburg and defeated Inferno. It was just about to take the other blade when it's control over me broke. I regained consciousness and smashed the other blade. I tried to smash the one I had taken as well but couldn't. It had enough control left to stop me doing it. I vowed never to sleep again, as Soul Edge took over my body while I slept and massacred people, and wandered the land, searching for a way to get rid of it. After a year I found this chasm that seems to have no bottom and cast it down there, and vowed to be its Guardian for all eternity. I was doing that, living off a natural spring and animals that wandered up here, mainly rats, and fighting off the odd intruder and then you arrived." "You've had a very hard life," Rebecca agreed. "Tell me, did you ever meet a woman called Isabella Valentine on your travels?" "Isabella Valentine? The one with the living sword who calls herself Ivy?" "Yes!" "Yes, I met her. She assisted Nightmare with a ritual to try and restore Soul Edge." Rebecca's face fell. "Why?" "She is my half sister." "I should probably tell you she only assisted Nightmare to get close to him. She wanted to take Soul edge and destroy it, for what it did to her family." Rebecca brightened up a little. "Yes, I think I met her as myself once as well. We fought and she almost beat me, but then I managed to stun her and get away. She is very strong." " I thought Ivy wanted to take the Sword to defeat the French as well, but now you tell me he wanted to destroy it. What did it do to our family?" "Are you on the side of Count Valentine or Cervantes de Leon?" "Count Valentine. What does Cervantes have to do with anything?" "He was Ivy's father. When I met her as myself we talked a while and then discovered we were both after Soul Edge and fought. Before we fought she told me." "What? I knew she was adopted but Cervantes? How?" "Well, Rebecca, when a man loves a woman." Rebecca laughed a little.  
  
"I know about that part, but who was her mother?" "I don't know about that, but it was probably some Spanish barmaid or another. You know what pirates are like." "Yes. Well, if Soul Edge can truly do this to a person then I should probably leave it at the bottom of that Chasm." "That would be best." "I'd better be going then. It was nice talking to you Siegfried." "Give my regards to Ivy if you see her again." "I will." Neither of them noticed the a man climbing into the chasm, carrying a scimitar.  
  
an: oooooh! Will the man get Soul Edge? What will happen next? Will either of them see Ivy again? Why am I still talking? I don't know! Find out in the next chapter! READ AND REVIEW! 


	3. The Fool

Guardian  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Blade/Calibur  
  
Chapter 3: The fool  
  
An: Just to clear it up, Siegfried looks like his second costume in Soul Calibur II. Almost restored, but not quite.  
  
Joseph climbed down into the chasm. He would find Soul Edge, and use it to defeat that monster that had captured Rebecca! Then she would respect him and not treat him like a servant. He was sick of being told to carry this, move that, trap this, kill that! When he found Soul Edge he would have the power!  
  
"Joseph!" Rebecca called. "We're leaving. Joseph? Where are you?" But there was no reply. "He probably ran away," said Siegfried. Then he thought for a minute. "The chasm!" He said quickly and ran towards it.  
  
He arrived there and didn't see anything. "Joseph!" He called down. "You can't stop me monster, I've found it! Now I have the power to defeat you!" There was a blinding flash and a column of red light shot up from the bottom. "I won't let you make the same mistake I did!" Siegfried shouted and jumped into the chasm. He grabbed a rock that stuck out quite near the bottom and hung there for a moment, shortening his fall, and then dropped down the rest of the way. He saw Joseph standing there, holding Soul Edge, which had morphed into a scimitar, wearing a manic expression. "You idiot!" Siegfried shouted and charged forward, raising the Requiem and trying to knock Soul Edge out of Joseph's hands. Joseph was able to block his hits with ease, except for one where Siegfried hit him in the head with the flat of the blade. He fell to the ground, stunned and Siegfried could hear a voice calling. Siegfried, It called. "Get out of my head you demon!" Siegfried shouted back. Siegfried, It called again. "I never want to wiled you again, or see anyone else do it!" I only want to help you, I can help you return to the way you were, before you murdered your father. "Shut up! Shut up! Lies! Lies!" I can help you, Siegfried. "No you can't!" He shouted and raised the Requiem, high, and brought it down hard on Soul Edge. It shattered into pieces and a cry of NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Filled the cave. Siegfried stood there, panting, not believing what he had done. "It's.over," he muttered, not daring to believe it. "It's over!" He shouted happily, "It's finally over! Soul Edge is gone forever! At last!" He walked over to Joseph and kicked him in the side. He sat bolt upright and said, "You don't scare me, monster! I have the Sou." He looked around and saw the fragments of Soul Edge strewn across the rock. "What have you done, monster! That was Rebecca's country's only hope and you destroyed it? You idiot!" Siegfried was enraged by this fool who thought he knew more about Soul Edge than he did He grabbed his head with his claw and raised him up high, saying, "Listen you idiot, that sword is evil! It started to devour your soul but I knocked it out of your hands before it could devour you completely! If I hadn't found you, you would have become something not unlike I was several years ago! If you want a powerful sword then look for Soul Calibur, but it belongs to Chai Xianghua and you'll have a fight on your hands if you want it too! So I would suggest that you leave here and return to your former life! Understand?" Joseph tried to nod but because of the claw he only inclined his body several degrees. "Yes!" He said frantically. "Now hold on," said Siegfried, "We've got a long climb ahead of us." He put him on his shoulder and grabbed the rock with his claw, climbing the walls of the chasm. After several hours they still weren't out of the chasm and Siegfried asked Joseph, "How did you get down so fast?" "I fell," Moaned Joseph," His injuries were starting to show He ha bruises all over and a large lump on his head. "I grabbed the sword and it didn't hurt any more." He looked at his hand and screamed. It had turned into a claw, though it was still the same size. "I see you've noticed where Soul Edge started to merge with you," Siegfried said. "Another few minutes and you're arm would have been worse than mine. Mine's smaller than it was when I first got it because I haven't wielded that damned sword in a few years now." Siegfried. Siegfried jolted suddenly, almost losing grip of Joseph, who screamed. Siegfried. It said again. "What/ I destroyed you!" Siegfried screamed. "Okay," Joseph shouted, "You've had your fun, now stop messing!" I still control your arm.It said. His right arm, his claw, let go of the rock, and Siegfried plummeted down towards the canyon floor. "Forgive me." Siegfried whispered as he fell, and closed his eyes.  
  
An: So, short chapter. What do you think? I've already got 3 reviews, my third highest amount ever, and it's only been going for a week. Stay tuned to see what'll happen next. 


	4. Eternal Struggle

Guardian  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Blade/ Calibur. It'd be cool if I did though. I'D BE RICH! An: Okay, I made Nightmare a little more eloquent than before, but it all makes sense.  
  
Chapter 4: Eternal Struggle  
  
Siegfried hit the ground with a massive thud, but had landed in a good position and had only fractured his claw, which was a good thing, as he didn't control it anymore anyway. He raised his head and looked around groggily, wondering what had happened to Joseph. His question was answered by a thud and crack next to him. He looked over and saw Joseph lying there, nose broken, arm lying at a weird angle, one finger missing and a severe cut on his temple. Suddenly his claw jerked. "What?" Siegfried shouted. He had thought it was fractured but it had mended itself inside a few seconds. It raised itself and swung towards Joseph, but Siegfried moved out of the way and ran in the opposite direction, claw swinging wildly. A voice rang in his head; I will always be part of you, Siegfried! It shouted inside his mind. Siegfried just kept running.  
  
"Joseph?" Rebecca called into the chasm, "Siegfried?" Something must have happened. Maybe the column of light killed Joseph and Siegfried died from the fall! Either way, something had to be done. She picked up her sword and put her shield on her back, and began to climb. Little did she know, someone very familiar to her was making her way towards the cave entrance.  
  
Isabella "Ivy" Valentine had heard rumours of Soul Edge and a mysterious "Guardian" that either killed anyone who ventured into the cave or scared them so they were too frightened to go back or talk about their experience. Well, she would defeat this "Guardian" and destroy Soul Edge! As she entered the cave, and saw the seemingly endless road of bones, her resolve did not waver in the slightest.  
  
Siegfried had half passed out, and looked outwardly calm, but inside his mind a battle was raging with the spirit of Soul Edge, Inferno. He seemed to be winning, as a smile played on his lips and his eyelids fluttered. Then they closed and he lay still for a minute. Then his eyes snapped open. They were bright red.  
  
Joseph had woken up, for some reason fully healed and quite refreshed. It must have been the power of the Sword of Salvation, or Soul Edge, as that monster...no, that man, had called it. He got up and looked around. He could see nothing except a faint red glow at the end of the chasm. He walked towards it, and it seemed to be getting closer quite quickly. He could make out a faint outline of a knight, holding a sword. It got closer still and he could see that the knight was wearing blue, no, azure, armour and was holding a very large sword. It was very near, and he could see that the sword looked very strange, it was red and had a decorative eye in the middle, and his right arm was hideously deformed, like a claw or something. The Azure Knight saw him, and slowed. "Joseph scrambled back and said, "Get away from me, you freak!" It was the wrong thing to say.  
  
The Azure Knight, also known by the name Nightmare, raised his sword and shouted, "You conceited, wretched, HUMAN!" He ran towards Joseph and punched him in the stomach, raised him by the neck with his claw, and threw him away. "No, please, "Joseph said, standing up, "I'm sorry, I take it back, you're not a freak, just please don't kill me!" Nightmare's concentration just intensified. "On your knees, boy," he said. Joseph started to whimper. "DOWN!" Joseph half fell, and started to cry slightly. Nightmare put his sword the right, and made ready to cleave the young man's head clean off his shoulders. He started to swing, when the boy shouted, "Father, forgive me!" "FATHER!?" Nightmare shouted, and the blow never reached him. He stopped just at his shoulder, and dropped the sword. He fell to his knees and started pounding the canyon walls with his claw. The "fingers actually started to break, but then Nightmare got in full control again. Just then, there was a thud to the side and Rebecca landed. "What do you want, little girl," Nightmare said. "Your friend is going to die, I would suggest that you leave before the same happens to you." "What?" Rebecca said, "Siegfried? What happened?" Nightmare threw his head back and laughed. "Siegfried isn't here right now. This is NIGHTMARE!" Rebecca drew her sword and shield and prepared to fight Nightmare. He put the new Soul Edge into the Zweihander stance and prepared to strike.  
  
Ivy was coming up to the edge of the chasm, and preparing for a fight. She could hear signs of a struggle below, but couldn't see anything except a faint red glow that moved around a lot. There was nothing else for it. She began to climb down the chasm wall.  
  
It took five minutes for Nightmare to get the upper hand, as Rebecca was actually quite a good fighter. Nightmare struck her, but only hit her with the flat, which knocked her off her feet. He was just about to deliver the death blow, when something wrapped around the sword and pulled it from his grasp. "Nightmare!" a female voice shouted, "But you died!" "Not quite, my dear. As long as Herr Schtauffen had his claw, I was still a part of him. All it took for me to return was that this idiot didn't believe Soul Edge was a demon sword. Idiot. And now I have returned, my dear Isabella." "Isabella?" Rebecca said aloud, "Ivy? Is that you?" "Rebecca?" Ivy said, obviously surprised, "What are you doing here?" "I sought the sword, but then Siegfried told me that it was evil, but Joseph went for it, and then something happened top Siegfried that I don't quite understand, and his sword was transformed. Now I have to fight him, or many more will be killed." "The sword, eh..." Ivy said. She raised Valentine up and brought it down heavily on the eye in the middle of the sword. It seemed to freeze and then shattered. Nightmare threw his head back and roared, then fell to the ground and started to spasm. His armour fell off, except for the legs, which was still Siegfried's armour. The red hair turned to blonde again, and his eyes changed back to their natural blue. He jumped up and everyone flinched, except for Joseph who screamed and hid behind Rebecca. He looked at his claw and groaned, as it was still there. "Ivy," Siegfried said. "I want you to do something for me." "Why should I?" Ivy said. "Because if you don't things like what just happened will continue to happen. As long as I have this claw Soul edge is still a part of me." "All right then, what do you want me to do with it?" "I...I want you to cut off my arm." She looked taken aback.  
  
"Are you sure?" "Yes." "Well, okay then, if you think it's necessary." She raised Valentine and struck his shoulder as hard as she could. Instead of cutting off his arm, it did something better. It shattered his claw.  
  
An: ooooooooooohhhh! What's Siegfried gonna do now he's free of Soul Edge? Is he gonna to go away with Rebecca, Joseph, and, especially, Ivy? Almost certainly! Whoops. 


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